South African Music

If you get a chance to, pay attention to the personal development Zingah has undertaken in the years since he was a kid in Cashtime Fam. For The Writers, though, Zingah and I spoke about his songwriting and stretching himself. Definitely one of my most unexpectedly illuminating conversations. What's your...

I know, I know, it looks like this has turned into a YoungstaCPT fan site. I suppose the kid has been working the press. The last time he was in Jozi, he and I spoke about his song, 786, and the links it has to Islam and parts of Cape...

“Can you believe the internet was down,” he asks me rhetorically as he sits down. He shakes his head. “But things like that always happen to me,” he smirks and then says: “The internet only went down when I arrived, they’ve never had that happen to anyone else.” If I...

On a whim, I decided to start a new series called The Writers. Here, I speak to some phenomenal songwriters about how they manage to be so, well, phenomenal. The best part of this series featuring some South African artists is that it means I am more than likely chatting...

Shane Eagle has been charting his own unexpected (well, at least to me) path since he left The Hustle TV show. The rapper's debut album, Yellow, won the 2018 Best Rap SAMA and his follow-up EP, Never Grow Up is one I play every week on the way to work....

What makes for a potentially electrifying performance? Helen Herimbi hits up AKA’s Orchestra on the Square rehearsal to find out The Jozi sky is grey when I arrive. AKA’s band is standing in a circle on the street and I join them. The seem on edge. Nhlanhla, who takes care...

“I thought I was just hungover and ignored the fact that I felt sick for a while,” Mx Blouse is telling me over the phone. I’m gobsmacked. They are giggling. “I was so sick. I got rained on on New Year’s Eve, at Afropunk. Then it escalated and they couldn’t...

YoungstaCPT and his team are in the basement parking lot of a Joburg radio station. Teargas’ breakout hit, Chance, is not a song that would typically be played by this station but it is blaring through YoungstaCPT’s car’s speakers. I’m surprised to hear the rapper blaze this throwback tune but...

"For maybe three years, I used to have these dreams of just dealing with my matric,” Ishmael Morabe tells me shortly after he’s sat down. The multi-talented artist who is simply known as Ishmael has just come back from a morning of visiting high schools to motivate the kids who...

The motswako rapper talks about her new music, new company and new lease on life Fifi Cooper is giddy. When we meet, it’s been a while since she dropped her second album, Take Me Back. It is her first album since she acrimoniously parted ways with Ambitiouz Entertainment and hr...